July 4: Four big differences between the Coke Zero 400 and the Daytona 500

Monday

Jun 28, 2010 at 12:01 AMJun 28, 2010 at 5:04 PM

Jamie McMurray, a long-shot winner at the Daytona 500, faces even steeper odds on Saturday night in Daytona’s Coke Zero 400. No driver has swept Daytona’s annual pair of Sprint Cup events since Bobby Allison in 1982. Nine other Sprint Cup tracks have hosted two races a year over that span; eight have seen sweeps within the past four years. Only Michigan, which last saw a sweep in 1995, even comes close to Daytona’s current streak.

Rob Sneddon

Jamie McMurray, a long-shot winner at the Daytona 500, faces even steeper odds on Saturday night in Daytona’s Coke Zero 400. No driver has swept Daytona’s annual pair of Sprint Cup events since Bobby Allison in 1982. Nine other Sprint Cup tracks have hosted two races a year over that span; eight have seen sweeps within the past four years. Only Michigan, which last saw a sweep in 1995, even comes close to Daytona’s current streak.

Rarely does a Cup team stay intact from one season to the next. Drivers change teams, teams swap crew chiefs, pit crew members come and go. Even a top team can take time to jell. Now add to that the randomness of a restrictor-plate race. Presto: The season-opening Daytona 500 is a singular crapshoot that offers little indication of what the season will hold. The 400 is a much more accurate barometer. Only twice since 1988 (the start of the restrictor-plate era) has the Daytona 500 winner won the Cup championship. In that same period the 400 winner has won the title seven times.

2 Rules and equipment often change

Last year NASCAR implemented double-file restarts between the 500 and the 400. Also, Goodyear brought a different tire in July after extensive testing at Daytona in May. This year? The rear wing has flown the coop since February, replaced by a spoiler. Also, NASCAR has increased the restrictor-plate opening from 63/64” to 1 1/32”, the largest ever, to compensate for the increased drag created by the spoiler. (With a newer, grippier surface next February, NASCAR likely will reduce the plate opening again for the 2011 Daytona 500.) McMurray also has to contend with an equipment change unique to him. Per NASCAR mandate, his 500-winning ride was impounded for immediate display at the Daytona 500 Experience attraction at the speedway, where it will remain until next February. So McMurray will have to use a different car as he goes for the sweep.

3 The track is slicker

In the summer heat Daytona gets greasy, which tends to favor those who are considered “drivers’ drivers.” David Pearson, one of the sport’s greatest natural talents, won the Daytona 500 just once but had five wins in the summer 400. Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the 400 twice before finally winning the 500. Tony Stewart carries that old-school torch today. Stewart, who comes to life on the slick tracks of summer, has three wins in the 400 but none in the 500.

4 The pressure goes up

In February, McMurray was making his first start since returning to Chip Ganassi’s team after his No. 26 team was contracted at Roush Fenway. So, despite his past success on restrictor-plate tracks (wins at Daytona in July 2007 and Talladega last November), he remained under the radar in the run-up to the 500. Now, as the reigning 500 winner, he returns to Daytona amid much greater expectations.“It is amazing to me how much attention the Daytona 500 winner gets,” McMurray said. “Until you live it, you cannot imagine how much there is.”

ONE TO WATCH: Kevin Harvick

WHY HE MATTERS: Plate ace won April’s Talladega thriller and the last two Bud Shootouts at Daytona.

WHAT HE SAYS: “We just got to keep at it, keep doing what we’re doing.”

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY: ’Dega was the only points win, but he still leads the standings.

NEXT RACE Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway

THE LOWDOWN Keep it together for just one more race. That’s all NASCAR officials can ask of the big ol’ oval in Daytona Beach, which was last repaved in 1978. The weathered surface became an issue during the Daytona 500 when a pothole formed, causing delays totaling more than two hours for repairs. After Saturday night’s race, track officials will shut Daytona down for complete repaving.

“I had great visions of a huge, spectacular crash.” – Loudon winner Jimmie Johnson, who nudged past Kurt Busch for the lead with two laps to go, just six laps after Busch had nudged past him.

Where to watch

Sunday’s pre-race show on TNT starts at 6:30 p.m. EDT, followed by the race at 7:30.

UP TO SPEED

Do your worst

In terms of shuffling the Sprint Cup standings, this weekend could be the most turbulent of the summer. Daytona is the toughest track on the schedule for four of the top 20 drivers based on average finish. No more than two of the top 20 bottom out at any other track (see chart). The four drivers who have recorded a lower average finish at Daytona than at any other track are Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin and teammates Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart – even though Newman won the 2008 Daytona 500 and Stewart is a three-time Coke Zero 400 winner. Another surprise: Three-time Brickyard 400 winner Jimmie Johnson’s poorest average finish is at Indianapolis.

Obligatory Danica reference

In case you somehow hadn’t heard, Danica Patrick has resumed her part-time Nationwide series schedule. Patrick, driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, took a four-month break to focus on her IZOD IndyCar series ride (she finished sixth in this year’s Indy 500 and second at Texas in June). Patrick finished 30th at New Hampshire after an early tangle with Morgan Shepherd. She’ll skip Daytona and make her next Nationwide start at Chicagoland on July 9.

Milestone

Daytona’s Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday night marks the debut of the new Nationwide series car. NASCAR’s goal was to make the Nationwide car more like the new-generation Sprint Cup car on the inside. With a 110-inch wheelbase, the new Nationwide chassis will be interchangeable with a Sprint Cup chassis. The new Nationwide rides have distinctly different looks on the outside, however. NASCAR hopes that two new body styles, the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, will help the Nationwide series develop a separate identity from the Sprint Cup series. NASCAR will require the new car at three additional races this season before a complete roll-out in 2011.